


Portals (RQ).

by AmaranthPrincess21



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-19
Updated: 2014-06-02
Packaged: 2018-02-07 13:34:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 14,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1900848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmaranthPrincess21/pseuds/AmaranthPrincess21
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You were waiting in line for the very first badge for an anime convention, and fell asleep. The next thing you knew, you were in the world of Shingeki no Kyojin. Being a complete nerd, you join the military and start on a journey of bravery and fangirling.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Inside the Walls

**Author's Note:**

> The first chapter was a request I received over Deviant Art, and you can find it there on my profile as well as here. I had such a blast writing it, I whipped up a sequel (which was not requested).  
> Chapter 1 was originally posted as _Inside the Walls_ and chapter 2 was _Outside the Walls_

_Just two more hours. Come on, [First], you can do this._ You sat inside your tent outside the convention’s badge booth. You had been there for a little over a day, and you were first in line to buy a badge for the anime convention. You had been awake all that time, passing the hours by reading fan fiction and blogging. You hadn’t slept at all, and you were beginning to really feel it. You knew you should have gone to sleep hours ago. After you made a call to your best friend four hours ago, crying over the fact Marco Bott would never have the chance to eat a quesadilla in his life, she had told you that you needed to sleep. But you ignored her and stayed up. After all, you were gonna get your badge first or die trying. You yawned, once again scrolling through Tumblr as you felt your eyelids droop. You forced them back open, gritting your teeth. _I am not falling asleep! I am NOT!_ But alas, we can’t always get what we want in life, and after you reblogged yet another Levi as a Disney princess gif, you felt your body hit the ground as darkness drew a curtain over your eyes.

A bright light is what woke you up, and you sat up quickly. You were no longer in your tent. Hell, you weren’t sure of where you were in the first place. Everything looked familiar to you, but you knew there weren’t any places like this in your area. You grabbed your backpack, standing up and looking around. It was almost like one of those reenactment villages, where everyone dresses up and pretends it’s hella years in the past. Panic was starting to rise in your body; had you been kidnapped and abandoned on the street? You checked yourself; no, besides your tent, you weren’t missing anything. Walking down the streets, you got lots of odd looks from everyone else. They were dressed in old-timey clothes, and while you were in a Steampunk cosplay, it looked drastically different from what they wore. _This is getting weird, where am I and why is everyone looking at me funny?_ you wondered as you wandered the streets. 

And that’s when you noticed it. 

The huge Wall towering over the city. The Walls you knew so very well. They loomed over the rustic city like a deadly omen, and you never imagined how cramped they would make things feel once you noticed it. And in that moment, although you didn’t know how, you knew in your heart that you were inside Trost. Inside Wall Rose. Inside the world of Attack on Titan. 

_“FUCK!”_

*That Night* 

You wandered around the streets for hours, unsure of where to go. You were torn between trying to figure out how to return home and just staying here. Hell, you weren’t even _sure_ if you could go home. After all, you had just woken up and bam, you were here. _Maybe I’ll wake up and I’ll be home again, back in my tent and ready to get that damn badge,_ you wondered as you found a niche in a building to sleep in for the night. The stone ground was cold and a little damp, but you didn’t know where else to go. You clutched a flyer to your chest. It asked for recruits for the one hundred and fourth trainee corps, and you were considering joining, if you remained in this world. _I mean, come on,_ you thought as you stared into the dark building opposite you. _Who wouldn’t give the military academy here a try? And I know enough about titans and what happens in the battles that I can stay alive. Maybe I could even save lives. Can I save lives? Hell, will the future even follow what’s canon, or is this some alternate version of the_ Attack on Titan _world?_ You sighed, and closed your eyes. _I guess I’ll just have to find out._

*A Week Later*

_Oh my God, oh my God, oh my fucking God it’s Eren Yeager. And holy shit it’s Annie Leonhart, oh my God this cannot be real, they can’t be OH MY GOD MARCO MY BABY HE’S ALIVE AND SO MUCH CUTER THAN THE ANIME AND MANGA MADE HIM OUT TO BE OH MY GOD I’M GOING TO CRY,_ you internally fangirled as you stood at attention in formation, ready for initiation. You watched as Shadis approached Armin, ready to yell at him. It was a really unfortunate moment to remember Attack on Titan Abridged, and a muffled, choke-like laugh escape you as you remembered the scene where Shadis was yelling at Armin to harmonize with him. _Fuck,_ you thought as Shadis heard the noise and came towards you. _Well sweet Mother Theresa on the hood of a Mercedes Benz, I’m fucked._

“Who are you, maggot?” he demanded, his eyes like he was staring into your soul.

“[First] [Last] from Shiganshina, sir!” you said. You would have put Trost on the application, but _every_ OC and reader-insert had the main character from Trost. You figured it was time to switch things up a little. 

“Is something funny, cadet?” he asked you dangerously. 

“No, sir!” you replied, trying not to hyperventilate and burst into more giggles. 

“What were you laughing at, cadet?!” he asked again, screaming at you. 

“N-nothing, sir!” 

“Oh, you got a stutter, you lowly worm?!” he was up in your face, yelling at you. He was a lot more intimidating in person, but you tried your best to keep your gaze, even if it was shaky. 

“No, s-sir!” you mentally kicked yourself for letting your fear mess you up. 

“What kind of soldier do you expect to be if you can’t even talk properly?! If I hear you stutter or laugh one more time I’ll make sure you’ll wish you were never born!” he screamed at you, and you nodded. 

“Yes, sir! Understood, sir!” you almost sighed a breath of relief as he left to terrorize other cadets. _Oh, thank God. Jesus, the manga and anime really don’t do this justice. That was terrifying._

Conditioning was grueling, but thankfully you weren’t the worst at it. But you were still exhausted afterwards, and as you stood in the mess hall, you wanted to sit down but your indecision on where to sit kept you standing. _Should I sit with Eren, Armin, and Mikasa? Or maybe with Bertolt and Reiner? Sasha and Connie would be fun to be with. Or perhaps –_

“Hey, [First], isn’t it?” you froze as a hand rested on your shoulder. “Looking for a place to sit?” _Oh my God, oh my God, Marco Bott is touching me, he’s talking to me!_

“Y-yeah,” you breathed, turning to him. 

“You can come sit with me, if you want,” he offered. 

“I’d love to!” It took all of your strength not to squeal and start fangirlling right then and there. _Marco just invited to sit with him, I’m gonna be sitting with Marco, I’m making friends with Marco, oh my God if my friends knew they’d be so jealous! Wait, what if I’m now a character in_ Attack on Titan? _Did I just create a new ship by accepting Marco’s offer? Are people gonna ship us? Hell, are people gonna write fan fiction about me? Cosplay me? Draw fan art? Holy shit am I gonna be manga character now?_ The thought made you feel a little dizzy, and you plopped onto the bench beside Marco a little harder than you meant to. 

“[First], are you okay?” he asked tenderly, and you nodded slowly, a head resting on your forehead. 

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. I just, I just realized some things. But I’ll be fine.” you told him with a small smile. He still looked a bit worried, but he nodded. 

“Okay. I won’t press you to talk about anything you don’t want to.” he replied. You looked down at your stew, your reflection distorted in the pale, creamy-looking liquid. _Does it mean, though, if I’m a character in this world does that mean I’m dead in the real world? Or that I never existed? Am I stuck here forever?_

*Three Years Later*

Military life was a lot harder than you anticipated it to be. Yeah, you knew it was going to be hard, but you didn’t expect the workouts to be so extreme that people passed out during them. Or how you’d be hungry even after having three meals a day. Granted, they were small, but surely they should have filled you up. You considered dropping out several times, but it wasn’t like you could go anywhere else. The first few months you woke up every morning expecting to be back in your tent, in line for a con badge. But no. You’d wake up, Mikasa shaking you and Sasha in an attempt to wake you up, and you’d have to go to training. Now, that wasn’t the case. Sure, Mikasa still woke you up, but you no longer expected to be back home. This was your home now, and every day a little part of you stopped expecting to return to the present day. Still, you wondered how you got here, and a little part of you hoped you would go home one day. Now you understood Bert and Reiner’s homesickness. It’s been three years since you saw everyone, and you imagined they were all worried sick. 

_That is, if they haven’t forgotten about me, or if I existed at all. Maybe I’m just a manga character now. Or maybe_ Attack on Titan _is just the story of a different universe, and I somehow got teleported there. God, who knows,_ the thoughts were going over your head as you, Eren, Armin, and Mikasa walked around town. You were about to see the Survey Corps go through town on the expedition right before the Battle of Trost. You bit your lip as the image of Marco’s dead body flashed in your eyes. _Can I save him? Hell, can I even change anything?_ Should _I change anything?_ you wondered. Marco was just as nice as the fan fics and canon made him out to be, although he did have quite the snarky streak if you provoked him (which you loved to do, just because you loved seeing that side of him). He wasn’t your closest friend in the military, but he was up there, and you wanted nothing more than to keep him alive. 

_I’m over thinking this. And besides, if the manga’s changed with me coming into the story, if that’s what’s going on in the real world, maybe some other changes like Marco living will happen, too,_ you thought. You had made close friends with Mikasa, and Eren, and the main characters from the one hundred and fourth, and you imagined if the manga and anime changed since you entered the world, you’d be one of the main characters too given how much time you spent with them. You thought about it a lot. Were you now just a manga and anime character? And if so, did the fandom like you? Did anyone cosplay you? Did anyone have an ask blog with you as their muse? And, you were the most curious of all, who did the fandom die-hard ship you with? 

_I hope eventually Levi,_ you thought as you four got situated to watch the Survey Corps ride through town. _He’s probably a huger asshole in real life, but I want to meet him. I wanna at least try and get his attention. After all, he’s my favorite character, and maybe some of the fan fics got it right and he does have a sweet, romantic side._

_But it’s unlikely,_ a voice in your head snarked as Commander Erwin rode into view, looking even more handsome in person. _God, it’s so weird seeing him with both arms,_ you thought. _And it’s even weirder thinking he’s got great abs under that shirt. OH MY GOD I COULD SEE HIS ABS IN PERSON MAYBE I HAVE A CHANCE,_ the idea struck you, and you nearly squee’d in joy. 

“You all right, [First]?” Mikasa asked you. She really did live up to the Mom-kasa nickname the fandom gave her. You never understood Mikasa hate in the first place, but after getting to know her the idea seemed even more foreign to you. She was actually really nice once you got to know her. Intimidating and scary when pissed off, but a nice girl besides that. 

“Yeah, I’m fine.” you waved it off as your eyes scanned the soldiers for Levi and Hange. He was surprisingly easy to pick out of the crowd, although honestly given how much fan art of him you’ve seen and how many times you’ve read and watched the canon you figured you could find him in a crowd in the dark with a blindfold covering your eyes. He was far more handsome in real life, with his raven hair and silver eyes. He was hella fine, and you wanted a piece of him. 

“That’s quite the look of longing you have for Humanity’s Strongest Soldier, [First],” Eren teased you, elbowing you. You giggled and swatted him away. 

“Shut up, Eren! Can’t I appreciate attractive men? I mean, come on, he’s hot as fuck.” you said a little too loudly. Levi’s bored face snaps to you, staring at you but you can pick up an undertone of mortification in his face. You turn bright red and look away from him. _Oh God, why? That’s our first interaction?!_ you groaned as Armin and Eren burst into laughter. Mikasa even dropped her stoic façade and giggled a bit too. On her horse next to Levi, Hange had heard to and was laughing up a storm. 

“Oh, look out ladies! Levi’s got a girlfriend waiting back here for him!” you heard her joke to him, and though you couldn’t see his face you knew he was scowling at her. 

“If you don’t stop talking, Shitty Glasses, I will feed you to titans the first chance we get.” he threatened her, and added something you couldn’t hear as he and Hange rode away. _Great, he probably hates me now, and I’m going to be serving under him soon. Fan-fucking-tastic,_ you sighed. 

*After the Fifty-Seventh Expedition*

Your mind was in another place as you walked down the corridors of the Scouting Legion’s headquarters. One of the squad leaders asked you to bring some ink to Levi, and you couldn’t say no. Since joining the Legion, you hadn’t had to work with Levi directly, which made you relieved in a sense, but you still wanted to meet him, even after the embarrassing incident a while ago. _He probably doesn’t even remember. He’s probably just going to blow you off as another recruit,_ you thought. _He may not even want me in his office, seeing how his squad just died._ You stopped in your tracks, looking at the ground. After failing to save Marco during Trost, you realized there was nothing you could do to save those marked for death. But before they died, you made sure the last weeks of Erd, Gunther, Auruo, and Petra were wonderful. 

Fighting back tears, you tried to ignore the sting of your comrades’ deaths, and continued on your way to Levi’s office while your eyes remained fixed on the stone floor. You were nervous about formally meeting the stone-cold Corporal, but also a little excited. You adored him, and the idea of meeting your favorite characters never got old to you. No, you loved it and it always excited you. You bumped into something, and the black ink from the ink well sloshed onto you and whatever you bumped into. 

“You stupid fucking brat! Watch where you’re fucking going!” you looked up at Lance Corporal Levi, his face almost red in rage. _Why can’t I get a fucking break with this guy?_ you wondered as you got into a salute. You figured it wouldn’t make a good impression if you didn’t show some respect. Although honestly part of you wondered if you could improve your original, bad impression of yourself. 

“I’m really sorry, sir.” you apologized. “I can clean both our uniforms in addition to whatever punishment you give me.” 

“Tch. Fine. Follow me, cadet.” he beckoned you. He led you into his office, shutting the door behind him. “Put the rest of the ink on my desk and stay here. Don’t touch anything.” he left, going through a door that you guessed lead to his bedroom. You sighed and placed the ink pot on his desk and stood by it, waiting for him to return. You sighed; this wasn’t going the way you wanted it to. All you wanted was your first formal meeting with Levi to be nice and end with you making a good impression on him, but it didn’t look like that was going to be the case. But you were hopeful. You still had some clothes cleaning supplies in your backpack, and you hoped that maybe with some help of modern technology, you could make his clothes even cleaner than they were before and he’d be impressed with you. 

_It’s a long shot, but hey, I have hope,_ you shrugged as Levi came back into the room, dressed in a pristine uniform. He threw his dirty clothes at you, and you scrambled to catch them all. You noticed his shirt wasn’t buttoned up all the way. 

“What’s your name, cadet?” he demanded, none too kindly. 

“I’m Cadet [First] [Last],” you informed him. 

“If you fuck up my uniform I’m going to make you pay for a new one.” he told you, and you nodded, trying to discreetly watch him button his shirt. _Damn, that’s a body. The fan art certainly got that right. I wonder what else the fan art got right._ The thought made you giggle, and soon you burst out into laughter. “What’re you laughing at, brat?” he demanded as you doubled over. _I wonder how he’d react if I told him of all the drawings I’ve seen of him getting it on with practically everyone,_ you wondered, but you dare not say that out loud. 

“I-I’m sorry, sir, I just, like, remembered a funny joke, is all.” you lied, wiping tears from your eyes. 

“You ‘just _like_ remembered a funny joke?’” he mimicked your voice, giving you an odd look. You still hadn’t been able to shake off using modern slang and verbal tics. You though you had gotten used to people giving you odd looks, but the pang you felt inside you from Levi’s mockery made it clear you were still adjusting to it. 

“Sorry, sir. It’s a verbal tic I have.” you apologized. 

“Well it’s stupid as hell.” he said, and although his lips made to form a second part to his sentence, no words came out as a curious look came upon his face. “You’re that trainee, aren’t you?” 

“Excuse me?” you asked. _Ah, shit._

“Before the fifty-sixth expedition, you were that trainee that said I was, quote, ‘hot as fuck?’” he asked you, arms folded in front of his chest. You gave a nervous laugh, rubbing the back of your neck. _Dammit dammit dammit fuck my life._

“Y-yeah, I was. I’m sorry sir, it was wildly inappropriate of me and I didn’t intend for you to hear it. It won’t happen again, I promise.” you told him, uncomfortably aware of the dark shade of red your face was becoming. 

“Tch. I like knowing that at least one of the new recruits thinks I’m attractive despite my age.” he told you in a deadpan, making you blush harder. “Oh, and [First], before I let you go. You have a week of stable duty.” he added. _Fuuuuuuuck,_ you groaned, but you nodded. 

“Yes, sir!” you replied, and you turned on your heel and went back into your bedroom to grab your things from your backpack. _Well, I’m sure I made an impression on him, all right,_ you thought, your cheeks still tinged with pink. 

*The Next Morning*

You stood outside Levi’s office after breakfast, your knuckles rapping on the heavy wooden door. 

“What do you want?” _Clearly someone hasn’t had their coffee this morning._

“Sir, it’s Cadet [Last]. I have your clothes, they’re all washed and dried and ready to be worn.” you called through the door. 

“Get your ass in here.” he called out to you loudly. You opened the door and strode to his desk, placing his neatly folded uniform on his desk. You stood there, watching him intently and folding your arms behind your back. He was glaring at you. 

“Cadet, is this a joke?” he asked, and you tilted your head at him, an eyebrow raised. 

“What’s a joke?” you asked back. 

“Having my clothes done by today. There’s no way you could have removed all of the ink by now. It should still be soaking.” he explained, irritated. 

“I’ve got some nifty tricks up my sleeve,” you smiled at him. “Go on, unfold your shirt and you’ll see it’s supes clean and the stain’s completely gone.” He let out a small “tch” but grabbed his button-down shirt, unfolding it. He held up the shirt so you couldn’t see his reaction, and for a moment his lack of speech worried you that he didn’t find your cleaning up to his standard. _But . . . but I used the special pen, and my detergent, and all that other stuff. It should be cleaner than ever before!_ you thought, biting your bottom lip. 

“What the fuck.” Levi said in shock, lowering the shirt. He looked surprised, looking at the shirt as if he had never seen it before. A smug smile graced your lips as he lightly buried his face in the fabric, and you were glad you had packed your nicest smelling detergent all of those years ago. He coughed slightly and folded the garment. He put it back down and looked at you, his face back in its usual calm state. 

“How did you get it that clean in less than a day?” he interrogated you. You shrugged, smiling wide at him. 

“As I’ve said, I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeves.” you repeated yourself. 

“Yes, I heard you the first time, and I want to know what you used on my clothes.” he said, leaning back in his chair. He didn’t look amused with you. 

“Like, I just used soap, bleach, and a little bit of magic.” you told him. 

“Cadet stop screwing around and tell me what you used on my clothes. You should have used massive amounts of bleach to remove that stain but I could hardly smell any over the smell of whatever else you used. Tell me.” How could you tell him about your modern advantage? _“Oh yeah, I’m from the twenty-first century and we have advanced cleaning methods and that’s what I used to clean your uniform?”_ No, he’d think you were crazy. 

“The smell is from the kind of soap I use. It’s scented. And I used a special kind of concentrated bleach, but it doesn’t really have the bleach smell. It’s also scented.” you admitted as much as you could. You wished you knew what he was thinking. _He’s probably getting a cleaning boner right now,_ the thought attacked you, and you had to bite your lip hard so laughter wouldn’t escape. 

“And what kind of laundry soap is it?” he asked, and the dangerous edge in his voice was starting to frighten you a little. 

“Just regular soap, sir. I don’t see what the big deal is.” you said, and you could’ve sworn he teleported next to you, he moved so quickly. 

“It’s important because I know my cleaning supplies and their smells like the back of my hand, cadet, and I sure as hell don’t know whatever you were using. It’s just a little,” he grabbed your collar and pulled you close to him. “suspicious.” 

“M-my mother makes it by hand, sir, it’s, like, a family thing we do!” you lied, writhing nervously under his iron-grey gaze. 

“What does she make it with?” 

“I don’t know!” 

“Then show me this ‘magic’ soap.” he demanded. 

“I-I can’t do that, s-sir. I finished off the last of it with your shirt.” you lied again. “Please, let me go.” He gave you a hard look, and then obliged you. 

“Tch. Get out of my office. I’m tired of you.” he said coldly. Pain tugged at your heartstrings, but you nodded and saluted respectfully. 

“Yes, sir.” you said, leaving the office as soon as possible. 

*A Week Later*

“[Fiiiiiiiirst]! Come sit with me, I need to discuss some things with you!” You were about to sit down with Mikasa when you saw Hange waving her arms wildly at you from across the mess hall. 

“Sorry, it looks like I gotta go,” you apologized to your friend, and you went and sat across from Hange. Levi was next to you, sitting across from Erwin. “What is it, Major?” 

“Erwin just gave me the go-ahead and Eren’s already agreed, and I was wondering if you’d like to help Eren and I in a little experiment?” she asked. 

“Sure! What is it?” you agreed excitedly. Sure, Hange’s experiments weren’t as fun as the fan fics made them out to be, but you still loved working with her and helping her out. From his seat next to you, Levi snorted before taking a sip of his tea. Hange excitedly explained the experiment to you, and it sounded like fun. “Yeah, I’ll do it! It sounds hella!” you replied enthusiastically. Your three superiors gave you an odd look. “You know, hella. Like it’s really good or really cool.” you explained, your cheeks turned red. Sometimes you forgot about the differences in culture and language. “It’s just a slang term I’ve picked up.” 

“I like it! I should start using it!” Hange said cheerfully, before turning to Erwin. She cleared her throat. “Sir, I think your bolo tie is hella.” 

“Thank you Hange,” he replied with a small smile. “I think your new glasses are quite hella.” 

“Thank you, Commander.” she beamed. “Levi, your cravat is also extremely hella.” 

“Go fuck yourself,” Levi didn’t miss a beat, taking a sip of tea. 

“You’re not being very hella, Lance Corporal Ravioli.” you muttered under your breath. 

“The fuck did you just call me?” Levi demanded, catching what you said.

“I think she pointed out you weren’t being very hella and then called you Lance Corporal Ravioli.” Hange said, clearly trying to hold back laughter. 

“Cadet, if you call me Lance Corporal Ravioli once more time you’ll have stable duty for a year.” Levi told you sternly. 

“Lighten up, Levi. It’s not like she called you Lance Corporal Short Stack or Captain ‘Can-Be-An-Asshole-Sometimes.’” Hange pointed out, and you giggled at her names for him. He glared at you pointedly. 

“Lance Corporal Ravioli sounds like an endearment, although I’m not certain on what ravioli is.” 

“It’s, like, a kind of pasta. It’s a square of pasta dough with cheese inside, and you put tomato sauce on it.” you explained. 

“That sounds like an extravagant meal for a girl from Shiganshina,” Levi said sharply, and although you were focused on your stew you could feel his silver eyes shooting daggers at you. 

“I’ve only had it once, and that was for a very special occasion.” you tried to cover for yourself. _I really just need to stop talking,_ you kicked yourself. He pursed his lips, but said nothing. Hange decided to drop the subject, and started talking to you about the experiment. _God, that was close._

*Two Days Later* 

You were outside helping Hange with her experiment with Eren when Historia Reiss came to you three, running from the castle. 

“Hange-san, I’m sorry for interrupting, but Levi Heichou wants to see [First] in his office.” she said. _What did I do now?! I’ve been nothing but good!_ you groaned. Hange looked less than thrilled. 

“Is it urgent?” your superior asked. 

“He said it was of the upmost importance,” the tiny blonde said, and your stomach lurched. Hange sighed. 

“All right. We’ll call it quits for today.” she announced. “But, I still want to continue this experiment. [First], you did hella today, and I want you back here tomorrow at the same time we start today. Got it?” 

“Got it, Hange-san.” you saluted her before taking your leave, walking with Historia back to headquarters. 

“Did Corporal say what he wanted with me?” you asked her, and she shook her head.

“No, he just said it was really important that you come to his office.” she replied. _Oh, God, please let this be something good,_ you internally begged. When you reached his office, Historia left you and you knocked timidly on his door. 

“Sir, it’s Cadet [Last]. Historia said you wanted to see me.” you called through the door. 

“Come in, [First], and have a seat.” _He’s already ordering me to do something and I haven’t even stepped foot in his office yet?_ You walked inside and obeyed his order quickly. He stood up and walked to the door. You gulped as he audibly locked his door. And then came silence. He didn’t move or say a word. You kept staring ahead, afraid of what he’d do if you turned back to face to. 

“So, [First], you’re from Shiganshina in Wall Maria?” he asked finally. 

“Yes, sir. Born and bred.” you lied, nerves building up in your stomach. 

“That’s awfully funny you say that. Birth records don’t show that a [First] [Last] was ever born in Shiganshina. Or in Wall Maria. Or anywhere.” your body tensed as his light footsteps got closer and closer to you. They stopped suddenly, and then his hands came down on your shoulders. You squeaked and jumped in your chair. “By all records, you didn’t exist until you joined the military.” _Oh God, he thinks I’m a titan shifter! He’s thinks I’m a part of BRA!_ your stomach fell to the floor. 

“No, I was born in Shiganshina!” you insisted. “Sir, with all due respect, loads of people were born there, it would take ages to go through all of the birth certificates. Surely you must have missed mine.” 

“Oh no, I made sure to look very thoroughly through records. You have no birth certificate or any documents validating that you were indeed born inside the walls.” he said sharply. Your heart rate increased as his fingertips brushed the tops of your shoulders, inching in an agonizing rate towards your neck. “[First], you have some weird mannerisms. You use weird-ass slang, you have that annoying verbal tic, you act odd, and above all you don’t fit in with the other cadets. Sure, you all get along just fine, but there’s something different about you,” his voice was dangerous, and you tried not to squirm as his fingers caressed your neck. 

“Perhaps you just think I’m different because I called you ‘hot as fuck’ in public?” you tried to defuse the situation with some humor, and he chuckled, but his fingers drew circles and intricate designs on your neck. 

“That’s a far-fetched observation, [First].” you squealed as his fingers wrapped around your throat, putting enough pressure on your neck to let you know he was in control but not enough to do any damage to you. “No, you want to know what I think?” 

“S-sir?” you asked timidly. His grip on your throat tightened, still not enough to hurt you but it scared the living daylights out of you. You were starting to shake, terrified he was going to strangle you and heartbroken at him thinking you were a traitor and his treatment of you. “P-please, sir, let go of me.” 

“You didn’t answer my question, cadet.” he said coldly. 

“Please, let me go!” the words poured out of your mouth as hot tears welled up in your [e/c] eyes and quickly spilled over. “You’re scaring me, please let go of me!” 

“I’m scaring you? Good. You should be scared.” your breath hitched as you felt his hot breath on your ear. “If what I think is true, we’re going to become very well acquainted with each other soon.” His implications made you burst into loud sobs that shook your body. “If you confess, I’ll go easy on you, cadet. I don’t want to hurt you. I genuinely enjoy looking at your pretty face, and it’d be a shame if I had slice it up.” 

“LEVI YOU’RE SCARING ME!” you screamed, your body completely trembling in fear. You knew him enough in real life and knew well enough from canon that if he thought you were a threat, he’d take you out without a second thought. You needed to get out of his grip, and fast. 

“‘Levi?’ It’s far better than Ravioli, but remember your place, _cadet.”_ he told you venomously, his hands clenching your throat a little harder. Your hands flew to his wrists, trying to pry his hands off of you, but the more you struggled the harder he squeezed, his fingers making noticeable depressions in your skin now. “It doesn’t have to be like this, [First]. Just confess and I’ll let go. I really don’t want to hurt you.” 

“No! I’ve done nothing wrong! I’ve only poured my heart and soul into helping humanity! Is that a crime now?” You howled in pain as he bit down hard on your arm, drawing blood. You removed it, looking at the damage in shock. You knew he was dead serious, which meant you were fucked if you didn’t get out of his grasp. 

“Lying isn’t going to get you anywhere! Just tell me the truth, and I’ll let go. I’ll stop hurting you if you confess.” he almost sounded like he was pleading with you, but you imagined it was only a part of some sick mind game he was playing with you. You had an insane idea, but it was risky and it could cause more trouble for you, but you had to try it. You could save yourself with only one arm; your other hurt so bad you didn’t think you could move it without excruciating pain. You needed to do anything to escape him. _God, I never thought I’d be thinking that,_ the thought hit you. 

“Please, just stop, Lance Corporal Levi _Ackerman!”_ You were on the ground before you knew it, Levi’s seething figure pinning you to the stone ground. His hands left your neck and instead kept your arms down. You had never seen him so angry, and you knew you had made a mistake. 

“HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT, YOU SHITTY LITTLE BRAT?!” he screamed at you, any composure he ever had lost. 

“I-I-I, you wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” you replied, and you could tell he didn’t like your answer. 

“I AM DONE SCREWING AROUND WITH YOU CADET, I WANT ANSWERS AND I WANT THEM THIS INSTANT OR I SWEAR TO GOD I’LL -” 

“Levi? Open the door!” loud knocking and the voice of Hange Zoe interrupted Levi’s rage. 

“No, Shitty Glasses, I’m in the middle of something!” he yelled back. This was your chance. 

“HANGE, HEEEEEEELP!” you screamed, so loudly you thought your throat was going to split open. “HE’S HURTING ME!” The door burst open and you saw Hange pry Levi off you, holding him around the waist. You got to you feet and stumbled backwards, hitting a wall as you knees buckled and you crumpled onto the floor. 

“Levi, what the hell are you doing?!” Hange yelled at him. 

“She’s a titan shifter, she’s working with Annie Leonhart!” Levi shouted back as yet another figure appeared in the doorway. 

“What’s with all this shouting?” Commander Erwin asked, looking at Hange restraining Levi and you sobbing on the floor. Levi’s glare turned to the Commander, feverish and determined. 

“[First] [Last] is conspiring with Annie Leonhart!” Levi told him. 

“No, I’m not! I’m not working with Annie!” you insisted. 

“Did she confess to working with Leonhart?” Erwin asked. 

“No, I was interrogating her when Shitty Glasses decided to come in and interrupt!” Levi said. 

“Sir, [First] was screaming for help and that Levi was hurting her. What else was I supposed to do?” Hange told him. Erwin walked over to you, looking down at your shaking figure. He extended his hand to you. 

“Come on, [First]. Get up. I want you to go to your dorm room and stay there until I come get you.” You nodded, and accepted his hand, allowing him to pull you to your feet. “Hange, Levi, I want to talk to you two in my office right now.” You could feel Levi’s eyes watching you as you left to go to your dorm. 

There were no words for how brokenhearted and betrayed you felt in that moment. 

*A Couple of Hours Later*

You stared down at your cell phone, alone in the dorm room that you shared with Sasha and Mikasa. It was turned off, like you always kept it nowadays. It still functioned, although you couldn’t call or text anyone, and it couldn’t access internet. But you still had access to your music and your photos. You were tempted to flip through them. You were really wishing you had read those tutorials on Pinterest about how to charge phones with fruits and vegetables, so you could turn it on more often without worrying about losing battery. But you imagined you didn’t need it, so you never looked. You ran your thumb over the dark glass, contemplating turning it on. Since you had arrived in this world, you had only turned it back on once, to take covert pictures of everyone the night before graduation. The night before all hell had broken loose. 

You wanted some comfort, and you knew your phone could provide it to you. But you also knew with a limited battery, you had to be picky about when you turned it on. There was a knock on your door, and you sighed. “Come in,” you said. The door swung open, and the lithe form of Lance Corporal Levi stood in your doorway. You shrieked, dropping your phone and grabbing the knife Mikasa had left with you.

“I’m not going to hurt you, [First].” he said calmly, arms folded behind his back. He remained in the doorway, not budging an inch. “I came to apologize. I acted on my own accord when I should have waited to discuss the matter with Erwin. Granted, you act so different from the other cadets I was sure you weren’t from inside the walls. But, I shouldn’t have acted on my own. I’m sorry for wrongfully suspecting you. However,” he gave you a pointed look. “I still want to know how you know my last name.” 

“So you’re apologizing not because you scared me, not to mention tried to kill me, but because you wrongfully suspected me?!” you asked indignantly, anger started to flare in your stomach. 

“What I said back there was true. I didn’t want to hurt you. I wanted to shake you up, but I never meant to hurt you.” he told you, and you gave a hollow laugh. 

“Sir, I have bruises on my throat where your fingers were, and probably a few on my back from where you tackled me.” you said angrily. “‘Never meant to hurt me,’ my ass.” 

“I’m telling the truth, cadet.” his eyes narrowed ever so slightly at you; you could tell he was running out of patience with you. “I admit I did hurt you in the end, and that was wrong and I feel bad about it. But I still want to know -” 

“How I know your last name, I know. I heard a rumor on the streets, is all.” you lied. Your eyes flickered to the ground, and you realized your phone was on the ground. _Oh, SHIT._

“You must have been in some dark circles to hear that,” he replied, watching you carefully as you made to pick up your phone.

“I just heard things, sir.” you said forcefully, picking it up. 

“What is that, cadet?” he asked, removing one arm from his back to point at your phone.

“It’s nothing, sir, just a personal possession.” you explained hurriedly. He walked in the room, and you yelped, shakily pointing the knife at him. He lazily smacked it out of your hands.

“[First], if you don’t want stable duty for three months and your shit confiscated, tell me what that is and hand it over.” he demanded, his hand cupped, ready to receive your phone. You pouted, but put it in his hand. He placed something on your bed to free the hand behind his back, and started fiddling around with your phone. 

“You brought me flowers, sir?” you asked, pointing to the bouquet as his tried to figure out what your phone was.

“Tch. I couldn’t just act like that and not bring some sort of consolation gift,” he said. “But more importantly, what is this? What does it do?” he asked you about your phone, pressing the silver buttons to try and get it to do something. He pressed down on the lock button, and your phone’s screen lit up, turning on. His widened in shock for a brief moment, and you snatched your phone from his hands. _And here I thought he wouldn’t be able to get it on._

“It’s nothing, sir.” you repeated as he glared at you. 

“Cadet, it’s moments like these when you avoid my questions that make me suspicious of you.” he said flatly, crossing his arms in front of his chest. You glared at him, but sighed. _Do I honestly have any other choice? But how the hell do I explain a cell phone without blowing my cover?_

“The device I have, it takes photographs, sir. Like, paintings sorta. M-my dad invented it.” you lied as your lock screen came up. You were very glad in that moment that you had changed the lock screen photo from shirtless Levi to some flowers before you arrived in this world. “I can demonstrate.” He raised an eyebrow at you, but said nothing as you unlocked your phone and brought up your camera app. You turned the front camera on, and motioned for Levi to stand beside you. He sighed, muttering, “brat,” under his breath as he went to stand beside you. _I can’t believe I’m taking a selfie with Lance Corporal Levi,_ you thought as you lifted your arm, making sure to get the two of you in the shot. Levi looked dumbfounded at the phone.

“It . . . it was dark a few moments ago and now it’s a mirror?” he asked, eyes huge. You had to stop yourself from grinning devilishly. This was like getting some sort of revenge, from the confused looks on his face. 

“Smile!” you had to stop yourself from laughing as you touched the camera button and took a picture. You brought the phone close to you again and brought up the photo. “See? It took the image of us a few seconds ago and now we have it forever!” Levi looked hilariously shocked in the photo, but as he stood next to you he looked completely stunned. 

“What in the hell . . . You said your father made this?” 

“Yeah,” you replied sheepishly, watching him as his thumb ran absentmindedly over the glass, and another picture came up. 

“What did I just do?” he asked, looking at the photo you had taken of Marco right before Trost. You laughed, thoroughly enjoying the shocked facial expressions he was making, and took the phone out of his hands. 

“It’s able to take lots of pictures and save them all. That’s just on of the few I’ve taken.” you said, looking down at your phone’s battery. You were at ninety percent. You held down the lock button and turned your phone off. _Well, I think I can cross off ‘taking a selfie with Levi’ from my bucket list,_ you thought. 

“You’re fucking weird, you know that, don’t you, [First]?” he asked, looking as if his mind had exploded. You chuckled lightly. 

“Yeah, I know, sir.” you replied. There was a pause.

“I really do apologize for how I acted earlier.” he said quietly, regaining his stoic look. You nodded. It was funny, really. You had been so quick to forgive him for hurting Eren in the court room, you had forgiven him when he hurt Historia (although, that hadn’t happened just yet). But now that you were on the receiving line, you found it hard to forgive him. 

“I imagine you are, sir.” you said. He nodded sharply. 

“I understand if you don’t forgive me, [First].” he replied quietly. He paused, as if waiting for you to pipe up and say that wasn’t the case. But you remained silent, and so he continued on. “I will see you tomorrow for training, along with the rest of the recruits.” 

“Yes, sir.” you replied. He turned on his heel and left your dorm. You walked to your bed, picking up the small bouquet of flowers he had given you. They were all ones you recognized; they grew here on base, and you figured that either he had picked them or made some poor cadet pick them for him. _Well, I guess it was nice of him to bring these to me. Although he’s wrong if he thinks this’ll make up for what he did,_ you thought as you placed the flowers on your nightstand. They really were lovely. 

*Six Months Later*

“[First], you have a present.” you groaned good-naturedly as Sasha laughed from her spot on her bed. Mikasa handed you yet another bouquet of flowers, looking irritated. “Why is he still sending you flowers? It’s inappropriate.” 

“Maybe he’s got a thing for [First]!” Sasha giggled, and you threw a pillow at her. 

“Shut up, Sasha! He does not! I don’t know why he keeps sending me these.” you turned to Mikasa, placing the flowers on top of another bouquet on the windowsill. “I forgave him a month ago, they should’ve stopped then.” 

“How many bunches of flowers has he given you?” Sasha asked, stretching before getting out of bed. 

“However many days are in six months,” you answered wryly, following her lead and getting out of bed. You were aware of the disapproval on Mikasa’s face as you went through your wardrobe. “It’s not like he’s hurt me or been a jerk to me in the last few months, Mikasa. You’ve seen him, he’s been nothing but kind to me since then. And they’re just flowers, for God’s sake, it’s not like -” 

“[First] this isn’t about the flowers. I like having all of these flowers in our room. It makes it feel like a garden. No, I’m worried about the sentiment behind them.” she said. You waved away her worries. 

“They’re just ‘I’m sorry’ gifts, they always have been.” you replied. 

“You formally forgave him a month ago.” she pointed out, and you shrugged. 

“I don’t know. Maybe, like, he’s just too used to sending them to me to stop.” you suggested. In reality, you weren’t sure what to think. Maybe Mikasa and Sasha were right; maybe there was something behind the flowers. You had _technically_ forgiven him, after all you did understand that he thought you were a threat, but you never did entirely forgive him for losing it and giving you ugly bruises on your neck that lasted for a week. Ever since then he had worked hard on being pleasant to you, and you knew he was truly sorry for hurting you. But still, it was hard to really forgive him. He was trying to make up for it, whether it was with the flowers he gave you every morning or the small treats he gave you once a month. But when you caught him staring at you during meals or training, it made you wonder whether they truly were ‘I’m sorry’ gifts or something else. You sighed, looking at all the flowers in your room, in varying stages of age. “You guys, I think we have too many in here today.” 

“You think?” Sasha snarked, getting dressed. You grabbed one of the bouquets, and an idea hit you. 

“What do you guys think about repurposing some of these?” you asked with a wide grin. 

And so an hour later, after breakfast, you three walked onto your training grounds all wearing smiles on your faces. You saw Levi talking with Hange, the two in charge of training today. Levi slightly glanced when you three arrived, and had to do double take. 

“Cadets [Last], Braus, and Ackerman, what the hell are you wearing?!” he shouted over to you three.

“They’re called flower crowns, sir!” you yelled back. Hange looking very amused, but Levi didn’t as he walked towards you. “I just figured I had so many flowers I had a few to spare to make these.” you told him as he approached you. He pursed his lips, looking at you in disapproval. 

“You three, take them off. They’ll get in the way of training.” he said. Sasha looked disappointed and Mikasa looked as stoic as ever as they complied. You, however, just pointed to your head. 

“Sir, I can’t take my crown off. It’s entwined with my hair,” you pointed out. You figured he was going to try and get you to not wear it, so you had thought maybe if you braided it into your hair he’d allow it. 

“Then I’ll help you remove it.” he said, starting to disassemble the crown from your hair. Sasha fought back a smile, and led Mikasa away so you could be alone with him. You moaned, and started taking apart your hairdo. 

“I really should thank you for the flowers, sir. They are really nice to get every morning. These ones were on their last leg before decaying, so I thought -” 

“You don’t have to say anything, [First]. They’re yours to deal with as you please.” he said, his fingers picking apart the wildflowers from your silky [h/c] locks. The feeling of him playing with your hair made your heart flutter, and despite yourself you found yourself blushing. “Are you blushing, cadet?” he was teasing you.

“No!” you cried indignantly. He only chuckled. 

“You’re a terrible liar.” he said, and you fought back laughter. _Oh, I’d beg to differ,_ you thought with a knowing smile. 

*A Year Later*

“Levi! Levi, where are you?!” you screamed, running through the ruins of some long ago abandoned city. You and the rest of the Survey Corps were outside of the walls, past the ruins of Wall Maria. You had gotten separated from the group returning back to the confines of the walls. This mission had been long and hard, but you had made it through, and now the threat of enemy titan shifters was eliminated. You ran cautiously, on the look out for any titans. 

“Over here, brat!” he called out from somewhere near you, and in no time he was running alongside you. 

“That’s Squad Leader Brat to you,” you teased him. “Where are the others?” 

“I don’t know, but they should be around here somewhere,” he said, keeping his eyes peeled. “What part of ‘stay with the group’ do you not understand?” 

“We all got separated after that attack from the Beast Titan! I don’t know where anyone is!” you complained. “I don’t even know if we killed him!” 

“Oh, we took him down, all right.” Levi assured you. “But you still should have tried to stay with the group!” 

“I tried! I really did!” you told him. He rolled his eyes, but grabbed your hand. 

“I’m just glad you’re safe.” he said, and you smiled at him. You leaned over and kissed him. 

“And I’m glad you’re safe too,” you said, failing to notice the large figure jumping at you two. Large hands grabbed your torsos, and you screamed, unable to get to your swords. Levi struggled as well, trying to get a weapon, but the titan’s grasp was too strong. The titan brought you both to his mouth. You were screaming, crying for it to stop, crying out for Levi. He looked terrified, unable to save you or himself. The titan placed you both into his mouth whole and swallowed. It was dark and smelled horrific, and your screams filled the air. Levi somehow managed to grab you, holding you close. 

“I got you, [First], I got you.” he said, trying to calm you down, but it was in vain. You could feel his heart pounding in his chest. There was a blinding flash of light, so bright you had to shut your eyes or risk getting blinded. The sensation of falling ended as you hit something hard, Levi’s weight on top of you squeezing out your air. You opened your eyes, unsure of what had happened. Surely the landing would have been soft? But then you realized why the landing had been hard. You had landed on a solid cement, only a sleeping bag cushioning your fall. Levi rolled off of you, eyes larger than you had ever seen them before as he took in the unfamiliar settings. 

“Are we dead?” he asked as you climbed over him to take in your surroundings. You were back in your tent, waiting in line for a badge. You were back in the modern world. A cosplayer walked by you and looked at you. 

“Great [First] [Last] cosplay!” he complimented you before hurrying off to a group of friends. 

“[First], what’s going on?” Levi demanded, looking more freaked out than you had ever seen him before. You grimaced. 

“You remember how you were suspicious I wasn’t from the walls? Well, this is my home. It’s [today’s date].” you replied with a weak laugh, already cringing at what his reaction was going to be. He just sat there, mouth wide open and eyes the size of saucers as he processed what was going on. 

_“FUCK!”_


	2. Outside the Walls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Levi by your side in the modern world, you try to readjust to modern life and help Levi adjust as well.

“All right, so you’re telling me that I, along with my comrades, are fictional characters in a manga and anime, and that somehow you were transported into the story and now we’ve both been taken out?”

“Well, sorta. I think maybe the world you’re from is an alternate universe and somehow it’s being recorded and presented here as a fictional story. Honestly your world is so real I can’t call it just a story.” You and Levi sat on a bench in the convention center. You had bought him and yourself badges, and had a few hours until the event you were the most excited about was to happen. So you sat with him and filled him in on what was going on. 

“Tch. This makes no fucking sense. How are we going to get back?” he asked, and you shrugged. 

“I have no idea. Maybe something will trigger us being sent back, but I honestly don’t know. For now, we’re stuck here.” you told him. He folded his arms in front of his chest, irritation written on his face. 

“Our comrades need us and we’re stuck here unable to help them. This day could not get any worse.” he grumbled. A group of cosplayers dressed as Marco, Grelle, and Haruhi walked by you, and upon seeing you two, began to freak out. 

“Oh my God, you guys are so spot-on for [First] and Levi, like I just can’t!” their Grelle told you. 

“Thanks. We’ve actually been told we make awful versions of [First] and Levi,” you smiled at her, wanting to mess with them a bit. 

“No fuckin’ way. You guys are perf.” she insisted. 

“Well, thank you,” you said, trying not to laugh. 

“Can I get a picture of you two?” the Marco asked. “Levi and [First] is my OTP.” 

“Oh my God, I know, right?” the Grelle exclaimed. “Just after his squad was killed and she was comforting him, oh my God I cried so hard!” 

“The feels were so bad in that chapter! I just couldn’t.” the Haruhi said. Levi looked vaguely pissed at the group, and you had to fight hard to choke down your laughter. _Oh God, this is too great._

“I’d love to let you take a picture of us,” you told them, bringing them back to the original matter at hand. “I love meeting fellow Levi-[First] shippers.” 

“How can anyone _not_ ship them? They’re perfect for each other!” the Grelle said as you motioned for Levi to stand up. He shortly exhaled but complied, standing up beside you. 

“And it’s basically canon. I mean, yeah, Isayama hasn’t outright made it canon, but it’s just so many implications. It’s basically canon, for real.” the Haruhi said as the Marco got his camera ready. 

“Levi, can we kiss for the picture?” you turned to your boyfriend. He rolled his eyes, clearly annoyed with you and the group, who looked very thrilled at your proposal. 

“This better be worth it,” he said, and you closed the space between you two, throwing your arms around his neck. His hands gripped your waist as he kissed you back ferociously. 

“You two are the cutest. I can’t. I just can’t.” one of the members of the group said. “You are both the perfect Levi and [First].” 

“That’s really sweet of you to say, thank you.” you broke away from Levi to look at them. The Marco walked over to you two, showing you the pictures he took. _Aw, we look so adorable!_ you thought. “Can you send those to me, or something?” 

“Yeah, sure, what’s your email?” the Marco asked, pulling out his phone and making a note of it. You told him, and he nodded, typing it in. “Thanks, I’ll email them to you tonight.” 

“Thanks so much.” you replied, and suddenly a devious, dastardly plan occurred to you. “So, you hardcore ship Levi-[First], right?” 

“Uh, I have a brain. Of course I do,” he answered. 

“Do you happen to have any really good lemon fic recommendations? I just can’t find any good ones.” you asked of him, trying to fight the bubbling laughter that was threatening to come up. His face lit up and he enthusiastically nodded. 

“Oh, hell yeah I do!” he said as you pulled your phone out and brought up the notepad. “Let’s see, there’s _Sunrise,_ that one’s really good. There’s a multi-chapter one called _Queen of the Battlefield._ It’s really, really good and it’s a must-read for any Levi-[First] shipper.” 

“Don’t forget about _The Kitchen Incident!”_ the Grelle reminded him. 

“Oh yeah! That one’s also really good. Um, I can’t think of any others off the top of my head. But if I think of any others, I’ll put them in the email, okay?” he said, and you nodded. 

“Thanks so much! We’ll be sure to check those out.” you flashed Levi a large smile. He gave you a confused look. You parted with the group and he grabbed your arm, pulling you in close. 

“What the hell were they talking about, ‘shipping’ us together? What is that? And why were you asking about fruit?” he demanded, and you couldn’t hold back your laughter, letting it go and doubling over. 

“Levi, it seems I have a lot to teach you about the modern world.” you chortled. 

*That Afternoon*

“[First], where are we going?” Levi asked. The two of you were leaving the convention early, and you were leading him to your car. 

“We’re gonna go shopping. If this is like what happened with me, you’re gonna be here for a while, and you need some necessities.” you replied, digging through your backpack to find your keys. _Yeah! I didn’t lose them! Thank God,_ you thought as you pulled them out. 

“Are we even sure we’re gonna be here that long?” he demanded, and you shrugged. 

“No, but I mean, we should be prepared just in case.” you rationalized, unlocking your car and opening the door for Levi. He looked into your car cautiously, and then settled into the passenger seat. “This is called a car,” you gestured to the whole vehicle. “And this is a seat belt. It keeps you safe during the ride.” you informed him as you pulled the seat belt out and buckled him in. You closed the door and went to the driver’s side, getting in quickly. You threw your things onto the backseat before turning to look at your boyfriend very seriously. “I know how to drive. I know how to work this thing. You, on the other hand, know nothing. Until we get to our destination, I don’t want you to comment about what I’m doing, or what’s going on around us. I know the rules and how this world works, and you don’t. So don’t comment anything, okay?” The last thing you wanted right now was Levi verbally panicking in the car. He looked reluctant at your request, but nodded. 

“Fine. I’ll keep my mouth shut.” he agreed, and you smiled at him. 

“Great. Thanks, babe.” you buckled yourself in and started the car. He looked only mildly frightened as you pulled out of the parking space and onto the street, beginning your journey to the store. “All right, so we’re gonna have to get you a toothbrush, clothes, deodorant, a cell phone so you can stay in contact with me just in case, soap -” 

“[First]?” he interrupted. “Can I just ask, with everyone knowing about our lives, does that mean they know about us?” 

“Well, as that one guy was saying, there’s definitely the implication that we’re together, but nothing has been outright stated.” you reminded him. 

“I meant do they explicitly know we’re fucking each other?” he asked for clarification, rolling his eyes as if his original words had been clear enough. 

“No, I’m pretty sure they don’t,” you reassured him. “Honestly I would be so surprised if we were ever pronounced canon.” 

“That’s another thing, what the hell does that mean?” he asked. You sighed. _This is gonna go over great._

“Canon means events that have happened in the anime and manga and therefore are undeniable facts. Shipping means you want two people to get together. Like, people ship us together, as you saw earlier.” you explained, pulling onto the freeway. 

“But we are together.” he said bluntly. 

“Yeah, but as they said, it hadn’t been made known in the anime and manga so it’s not canon to the fandom. Which is the people who like the _Attack on Titan_ manga and anime.” you replied. “Even though we are definitely dating, to the rest of the fandom it’s not canon. Like all of the other ships.” you added as an after thought. 

“So basically you and the fandom spent your time hoping two people would start dating? What, do you have nothing better to do with your lives?” he asked disdainfully. 

“Hey, with all of the death and angst going on I think we deserve a little hope! We just take that hope in the form of love!” you replied angrily, thoroughly upset with his words. “And you basically did the same thing when you told me you were wondering when Hange and Moblit were, quote, ‘finally gonna fuck each other!’” 

“That is not -” 

“That’s _exactly_ what shipping is!” you cut him off. “You can’t criticize us when you’ve done it too!” You both remained silent for a few moments, and then Levi finally broke the silence. 

“Fine. I’ll let it go. Now, where are we going and what’s the plan until we return?” 

“We’re going to a store so I can buy you some necessities, and you’re gonna be staying with me. I guess. I don’t know how well that’ll settle with my parents, but luckily they’re out of town for the week, so we won’t have to worry about it for a while.” You took the exit and pulled off of the freeway, making your way to the nearby shopping center. You found a parking space easily and pulled your wallet out of your backpack. “Okay, so you did great not bitching about my driving, but I’m going to have to ask you to keep your comments in public to a minimum.” 

“What, are you afraid I’m going to embarrass you?” he asked, and although his voice was teasing you could tell he felt offended. 

“Yes.” you replied bluntly. He snorted. 

“That’s probably for the best. Fine, I’ll try to not tear everything apart.” he said as you unbuckled your seat belt. “Uh, [First], could you . . . ?” he pointed to his seat belt, and you chuckled. 

“Of course,” you laughed. 

*Half an Hour Later*

“Why are these pants so fucking tight? Do people seriously wear these?” Levi complained, looking at himself in the fitting room mirror. You stood beside him, your arms draped around his shoulders. 

“Yes, they’re all people wear these days. And you look great. Skinny jeans are your thing.” you whispered in his ear. 

“They’re too tight. I can feel my circulation being cut off.” he said sternly. 

“But these make your butt look cute.” you pouted. He gave you a stern look. 

“I won’t be able to walk in these.” he said, and you sighed. 

“All right, go take them off and try the next size up.” you said. 

“You don’t have to tell me twice,” he murmured as you let go of him and he retreated into his fitting room. You sighed and looked at the checklist on your phone. _Well, we got dental stuff, a phone, socks, three shirts, a pair of sneakers, a sweater, two sets of pajamas, and now some pants. All he needs now is some bath soap and a shaving kit._ The fitting room door creaked, and Levi stepped out wearing a new pair of skinny jeans. You grinned, looking him over. 

“How do they feel?” you asked. 

“A hell lot better than the first pair,” he remarked. You nodded. 

“All right, cool. Go change back into your clothes and let’s grab more pairs of those pants.” you commanded him. _He’s being surprisingly obedient,_ you thought as he fulfilled your wishes without a word. _I should give him something special later. Note to self, add condoms to the list of things we need._

Once he was done changing back into his uniform and you had grabbed a few more pairs of jeans for him, you made your way to the hygiene section of the store. You made sharp turn when you saw the ‘family planning’ sign, going down to the end of the aisle. Levi followed you uncertainly and started giving you odd looks as you started comparing boxes of condoms. 

“What’re those?” he asked, pointing to them. 

“They’re condoms. They go on your penis during sex so I don’t get pregnant.” you answered as you checked the expiration date on one of the boxes. He looked at it skeptically, and your [e/c] flitted up to him. “You know what my chances of getting pregnant are when you wear a condom? Two percent.” 

“Is there a limit on how many we can get?” You laughed at his inquiry, quickly covering your mouth with the crook of your arm to muffle your laughter. 

“No, but I’m sure we’d get weird looks if we bought more than one box.” you said once you regained yourself, putting one box back on the shelf and putting the other one in your cart. “All right, all we need it to get you some bathing soap and stuff to shave with.” You pushed the cart out of the aisle and down another one. You and Levi had been walking in step with each other, but you realized after a few steps that you had lost him. _Ah, shit. How’d I lose him?_ you groaned, looking behind you and seeing him stare down an aisle, a look of wonder on his face. You shortly exhaled and turned around, reuniting with him. “What is . . . God damn it, Levi, are you fucking serious right now?” you asked as he ignored you and wandered farther down the cleaning aisle. _Great, there’s no way I’m going to be able to get him to obey me now,_ you groaned as you followed him down the aisle. He looked like a kid in a candy, walking around with a rare expression of glee on his face as he took everything in. “Levi,” you said, grabbing his arm. “Come on, we need to . . . no, don’t you _dare_ give me that look,” you added as he gave you a hurt, pouty look. “Ugh. Fine. You can get one thing. But make it quick, I’m starting to get hungry and I want us to go have dinner.” 

“You’re the greatest woman I will ever have in my life,” he told you, smirking and giving you a kiss. 

“Damn right I am,” you replied as he went to inspect all the varieties of bleach. 

*That Night* 

“What the fuck, why would people _draw_ that?” You giggled hysterically as Levi stared at your laptop screen in horror. The two of you were lying in bed, a huge pot of pasta and your laptop separating you and your boyfriend. You were exploring the [First]-Levi tag on Tumblr, and while you were faintly amused at all the fan art, Levi was not. “My dick is not that big and I’m not into bondage.” You shot him an unamused look, and he rolled his eyes. “I meant _I_ hate being tied up.” You laughed and kissed his nose. 

“You’re a fucking idiot. I love you.” you told him. “Now, I think we’ve seen enough artwork of us having sex. Why don’t we go into the Ereri tag?” 

“Will I be horrified?” he asked in a deadpan as you pulled up the page. You gave him a sly look as he scrolled through the page, a fresh look of horror setting on his face as he looked at several pieces of enlightening fan art. “Fucking hell, don’t you people have better things to do? Everyone realizes he’s half my age and a brat, right?” 

“That didn’t stop you from banging me,” you reminded him, enlarging a picture of him having Eren in a very compromising situation. 

“You were legal when I met you. You can’t use that excuse with me. And get the fuck off this page; I don’t want to see anymore pictures of me fucking Eren.” 

“Okay. Do you wanna see pictures of you having sex with Erwin, Petra, or Hange?” you asked, getting ready to type another tag in the search bar. He sighed, rolling his eyes at you. 

“How about none of those options, and we continued to have dinner and figure out we’re doing while I’m here.” he suggested. You laughed and nodded, shutting your laptop and pushing it to the end of the bed. 

“Well, we’ll have to find jobs so we can get a place of our own, and I think I’ll talk to my parents about having you live with us temporarily. Or, you could hide and live in my closet secretly.” you jerked your head to it. 

“Would your parents be okay with their daughter’s older boyfriend living in the same house as her?” he questioned, turning onto his back to look up at the ceiling. 

“We’d have to, um, keep quiet about the whole dating thing. I’d have to introduce you as a friend. And I figure we’d have to lie about your age.” you replied. “My parents would not be okay with the fact their teenage daughter is dating a man in his thirties.” 

“I’m thirty-two and you’re twenty-two, it’s a ten year age difference but at least I’m not in my fifties and you’re a teenager.” he pointed out.

“But my parents still think I’m seventeen, since we’re back at the moment I first got transported to your world. They’re gonna see it as the age gap between seventeen and thirty-two.” 

“If we’re changing our ages around, I want to be twenty-two.” he said in a deadpan. You laughed and swatted his arm, making the edges of his mouth turn up in a grin. 

“You can’t change your age _that_ much!” you mock scolded him. 

“What, do you want your parents to know my real age?” he asked, and you sighed before shaking your head. 

“No. All right, we’ll lie about your age and our relationship. The next step is figuring out how we’re gonna forge a birth certificate and all of that for you.” you told him. “You need those to get a job here.” 

“Take me to the shady part of town. I can figure it out from there.” Levi replied. 

“What? Like fuck I’m doing that! That’s just too dangerous!” you protested. 

“I was a thug for most of my life. I think I can handle whatever scumbags are lurking in the seedy parts of this town.” he reassured you, but you kept glaring at him. 

“They have _guns,_ Levi.” you said exasperatedly. 

“I’ll stay away from people that have guns. I know how to spot people with concealed weapons. I’ll be fine, [First].” he said in a soothing voice. You huffed, crossing your arms and looking to the ceiling. 

“Fine, but I’m coming with you. I’m not letting you go alone.” you demanded. He chuckled, and kissed your jaw. 

“And I wouldn’t want it any other way.” he said. 

*The Next Morning* 

It was a warm and bright day, sunlight dancing through the streets as you and Levi walked around the seedy part of town. Safely tucked in Levi’s backpack was his new birth certificate, ID, and Social Security card. 

“I thought we were going to be killed for a moment there.” you lightly chuckled as you both walked back to your car. 

“I wouldn’t let that happen to you. It’s comforting to know at least some of my skills carry over.” he added the last part with an undertone of bitterness. You grabbed his hand. 

“Hey, I’m sure you have lots of skills that carry over! We just need to find you a good job where you can use them!” you tried to remain optimistic, but you knew he was right. He didn’t really have any options. Nearing your car, you unlocked it and you both got inside. “Heh, maybe we can become porn stars to make money?” you joked as you pulled away from the curb. 

“I’m not doing porn. Putting my cock on display is something I’d rather not do. I can’t tell you what to do, but I would rather you not pose for those kinds of books.” he said, making you laugh. 

“I’d rather not do it, either. What did you wanna be when you were little? Maybe you could follow your childhood dream.” you suggested. 

“I wanted to be rich when I was little. I can’t exactly follow that dream without getting a job.” he shot your suggestion down. “And besides, it should be something temporary in case we return any day.” You glanced over at him. He had a determined look on his face. 

“But what if we don’t?” you asked cautiously. 

“Then I don’t know what we’ll do. Our comrades need us, and getting back to them is all I want right now.” he said. _Heh, thanks for making me feel so important. Glad to know you’d rather be out there in danger instead of being safe with me here._

“Well, given how long I was gone, it’ll be years before we return,” you pointed out a little acidicly, making him groan. You tried to inore his reaction. _Come on, think! What could Levi do for a living?_ you wracked your head, trying to think of professions. 

“Levi,” you began slowly, an idea churning in your head. “What do you think about modeling?” 

*A Year Later* 

“‘ – Oh, _Levi,_ just like that,’ she moaned as his tongue swirled around her clit. Her fingers tangled themselves in his midnight-black hair as he licked and sucked her swollen clit. His fingers lightly stroked the entrance of her womanhood, and she squirmed at his light-as-a-feather touch. She mewled as he shoved two fingers inside of her roughly, the sound of her pleasure adding to his own, intensifying arousal -’” 

“Will you stop reading that filth?” Levi asked you in irritation from his place at his desk. You fought back laughter at seeing his annoyed and slightly mortified facial expression. You were lying on yours and Levi’s bed in your apartment. You and Levi had both found jobs, yours in a bookstore and Levi’s in a modeling firm, and soon enough you had saved up enough money to get an apartment. It was small, but it was cozy and had a decent rent price, and that’s all you could really ask for. 

Well, you could ask for him to stop talking about how he wanted to return and help your comrades fight, but you knew that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon, and it hurt and irritated you to no extent. You were so happy with life: you were living comfortably with Levi, you never had to go hungry again, and you never again had to worry about dying a gruesome death. But no, every so often Levi would mention off hand how he wanted to go back, and it hurt you to think that he wanted to return to the terrible lives you had lived while inside the walls. 

“All right, I’ll skip to the good part where I go down on you. ‘He gasped in ecstasy as she took the tip of his cock into her mouth, moaning her name as she sucked on his manhood -’” 

“Stop it, [First]!” his face was light shade of pink now, and you couldn’t hold back your giggles. “Don’t you find it disturbing at all that people are writing about our supposed sex life?” 

“It is a little bit, but hey, these are some great ideas if we ever get bored and need to spice things up.” you suggested, and he rolled his eyes. 

“We are not taking sex advice from fan fiction.” he said sternly. 

“You’re only saying that because that one fan fic involved us having a four way with Erwin and Eren in titan form.” you pointed out. He rolled his eyes, turning in his chair to face you. 

“No, I’m not saying stop just because of that, although that one was extremely disturbing.” he said. “I’m saying stop because I think it’s weird as hell, and I’m trying to work here and you’re distracting me.” he gestured to his brand new laptop in front of him. You _really_ looked at him, and noticed something else and fought back more laughter. “If you read one more sentence out loud I will break your phone.” You pouted at him, putting your phone down and sauntering over to him before straddling him. 

“I’m only doing it to get a rise out of you, although I wasn’t expecting that one,” you said, pointing to his crotch. He glared at you. 

“Tch. This wouldn’t be a problem if you didn’t read it seductively.” he complained, making you laugh. You kissed him, putting your arms around his neck. 

“How about you take a break from checking your email? Hm? If your agent sent you something, it can wait a few more minutes.” you told him, stroking his neck. You grinned as he shivered at your touch. At least he wasn’t a downer all of the time, and you had several past times to forget his words. “How about we let our tongues battle for dominance and then maybe frick frack?” you asked in a sultry voice, making him roll his eyes. 

“I’m ashamed that you’re using that phrase, and I’m more ashamed that I know exactly what it means.” he said, and you lost it, laughing hysterically. He smirked ever so slightly before kissing you, effectively shutting you up. You smiled into the kiss, deepening it as he pulled you closer, his hands grabbing your ass. You grinded your hips against him, eliciting a muffled moan from him. Impatiently, he picked you up and threw you on the bed. He crawled in between your legs, hungrily attacking your lips. You kissed him back ferociously tugging at his bottom lip. Sure, it had only been a few days since you last had sex, but it seemed like an eternity to you. 

You shrieked as a loud _bang_ interrupted you two, making Levi break away from you and look towards the door. 

“You didn’t put metal in the microwave, did you?” you asked him, raising an eyebrow. 

“No, I didn’t put metal in the microwave,” he replied tersely, rolling his eyes. “I learned my lesson after you screamed at me that one time for almost doing it.” He got off of you and started walking to the source of the noise, the living room. You got up and followed him, staying alert in cast it was an intruder. _It’s in the middle of the day, though, I can’t imagine . . . what the fuck._

Your mind went blank as you and Levi stood at the bright, circular light that appeared in the floor of your living room. _No, no no no no no, I’m not ready to go back, Levi and I have everything! We can’t go back to fighting titans and risking our lives. Oh God, what if he goes back?_ The terrifying realization hit you like a ton of bricks. Glancing over to your lover, you saw the same calm, almost bored look on his face that he always had on his face. 

Tensely, you watched as he took two steps forward, leaning the rest of the way to inspect the portal. You wanted to call out to him, but the words wouldn’t form on your lips. You watched, in pain and silent, as he simply stared at the portal. _Please, don’t go,_ you whimpered. Although it must have been only seconds, the moments dragged on, feeling more like hours. Levi remained stationary, peering at the portal like it was dirt. There was a flash of light, and you covered your eyes to protect them. You kept them covered even after you deemed it safe to open them. You were too scared to uncover them. _What if he’s gone? What if he’s left me?_ you fretted, breathing slowly becoming faster and shallower. _We were gonna travel the world, we were gonna buy our first house together, we were going to settle down and start a family once we were ready -_

“What’s wrong? You’re breathing funny.” Your breath hitched as you felt hands on your waist. You moved your hands, using them to cup Levi’s face. “[First]?” 

“I thought you were going to leave me!” you started crying, tears of relief and pent up desperation spilling onto your face. “I was so sure you were going to go in that thing and go back.” 

“True, I considered it for a split second, but I know you don’t want to go back. And I realized I didn’t want to go back.” he said. You looked at him, relief rushing through your system. 

“Really?” you sniffled. He smirked, and kissed your forehead. 

“Our comrades are fine soldiers. They don’t need me to baby them and protect them at every moment. And, my main reason for staying is that you wouldn’t be there in the walls, so what would be the point of going back?” he asked. You chuckled and placed your head on his shoulders, trying to get your heart rate to slow down. 

“You’ll be here with me forever?” 

“Yes. In terms of that movie you love so much, ‘I’m with you till the end of the line.’” You laughed, and kissed him. 

“I love you, Levi.” 

“I love you too, [First].”


End file.
